Representation of some of the
hundreds of earthen monuments built by American Indians Courtesy of the Southeast Archeological Center

The National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places, Southeast Archeological
Center, and Natchez Trace Parkway, in conjunction with the Historic
Preservation Division of the Mississippi Department of Archives
and History, and the National Conference of State Historic Preservation
Officers (NCSHPO) proudly invite you to discover Indian Mounds
of Mississippi. This guide to the publicly owned, visitor-accessible
American Indian Mound sites of Mississippi provides a compact source
of information on these impressive landmarks of the ancient past.
Viewing the mounds, the traveler will come face to face with a rich
legacy of American Indian cultural achievement. Many diverse Indian
groups, drawn by the bountiful wildlife, warm climate, and fertile
soil, made their homes in what is now Mississippi for thousands
of years before the first Europeans and Africans arrived. Mounds
built of earth are the most prominent remains left on the landscape
by these native peoples. This latest National Register of Historic
Places Travel itinerary highlights 11 mound sites, which include
some of the best-preserved examples in Mississippi. Further information
on mound sites in Mississippi and throughout the Lower Mississippi
Delta can be found in the NPS's Archeology and Ethnography program's
Ancient
Architects of the Mississippi website.

Although the first people entered what is now Mississippi about
12,000 years ago, the earliest major phase of earthen mound construction
in this area did not begin until some 2100 years ago. Mounds continued
to be built sporadically for another 1800 years. Of the mounds
that remain today, some of the earliest were built to bury important
members of local tribal groups, such as the Boyd,
Bynum, and Pharr mound
sites. These mounds were usually rounded, dome-shapes. Later mounds
were rectangular, flat-topped earthen platforms upon which temples
or residences of chiefs were erected. Examples of this type of
mound can be seen at the Winterville, Jaketown,
Pocahontas, Emerald,
Grand Village, Owl Creek
and Bear Creek sites.

Cover image from Prehistoric
Mounds in the Lower Mississippi Valley--example of flat-topped
earthen platformsCourtesy of the Southeast Archeological Center

Eight hundred years ago, the lower Mississippi Delta was home to
highly organized societies. There were roads, commerce, and cultural
centers anchored by awe-inspiring earthen monuments. Wonders of
geometric precision, these earthworks were the centers of life.
However, mound construction was in a period of decline in the 1500s,
when the first Europeans arrived in the region and brought with
them epidemic diseases which decimated native populations across
the Southeast. As a result, by the time sustained contact with European
colonists began about 1700, the long tradition of mound building
was reaching its end.

These mounds are protected because they are owned by state or
federal agencies committed by law to their preservation. Most
of the mounds in Mississippi, however, are on privately owned
land. As a result, many mounds have been irreparably damaged or
completely destroyed by modern development and looting. Indian
mounds, therefore, are critically endangered cultural sites. We
hope that visiting the mounds described in this travel itinerary
will help you appreciate these irreplaceable monuments of antiquity
and better understand the importance of preserving those that
remain.

Indian Mounds of Mississippi offers several ways to discover
these historic places reflecting the cultural achievements of
Mississippi's native peoples. Each highlighted site features a
brief description of the place's significance, color and, where
available, historic photographs, and public accessibility information.
At the bottom of each page the visitor will find a navigation
bar containing links to three essays that explain more about The
Mound Builders, Building the Mounds,
and Preserving the Mounds. These essays
provide historic background, or "contexts," for many of the places
included in the itinerary. The itinerary can be viewed online,
or printed out if you plan to visit Mississippi in person.

Carved Marble Statues from a Mississipian MoundCourtesy of the Southeast Archeological Center

Created through a partnership between the National Park Service's
National Register of Historic Places, Southeast Archeological Center,
and Natchez Trace Parkway, in conjunction with the Historic Preservation
Division of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History,
and NCSHPO, Indian Mounds of Mississippi is the latest example
of a new and exciting cooperative project. As part of the Department
of the Interior's strategy to promote public awareness of history
and encourage tourists to visit historic places throughout the nation,
the National Register of Historic Places is cooperating with communities,
regions, and Heritage Areas throughout the United States to create
online travel itineraries. Using places listed in the National Register
of Historic Places, the itineraries help potential visitors plan
their next trip by highlighting the amazing diversity of this country's
historic places and supplying accessibility information for each
featured site. In the Learn More section,
the itineraries link to regional and local web sites that provide
visitors with further information regarding cultural events, special
activities, and lodging and dining possibilities.

The Southeast Archeological Center and Historic Preservation
Division of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History
are the 11th set of more than 30 organizations working directly
with the National Register of Historic Places to create travel
itineraries. Additional itineraries will debut online in the future.
The National Register of Historic Places, the Southeast Archeological
Center, the Historic Preservation Division of the Mississippi
Department of Archives and History, and Natchez Trace Parkway
hope you enjoy this virtual travel itinerary of Mississippi's
mounds. If you have any comments or questions, please just click
on the provided e-mail address, "comments or questions" located
at the bottom of each page.